Machine for measuring textile fabric and computing the price thereof.



J. C. GEBHART.

MACHINE run MEASURlNG TEXTILE memo AND COMPUTING THE PRICE wemsor.

APPLXCATIQN FILED MAR-"T1 916. I V 1,250,844. 4 Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

s SHEETS--SHEET I.

, J. C. GEBHART.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING TEXTILLFABRIC AND comunm; THE PRICE THEREOF.

Patented De. 18. 1917.

5' SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED MAR; Ii" !9l6..

1. c. GEBHART MACHINE FOR MEASURING TEXTILE FABRIC AND COMPUTING TNE PRQGE THEREOF.

Patented D60. 18,1917:

. I 5 VSHEETS-SNEET 3- APPLICATION FILED MAN. :r, 1916'.

J. c. GEBHART. MACHINE FOR MEASURING IEXTILE FABRIC AND COMPUTING THE PRICE THEREOF.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, I9l6- Patented Dec. 18. 1M7.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4 152097222 2 02%): zcgflari I. C. GEBHART.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING IEXTILE FABRIC AND COMPUTING THE PRICE THEREOF.

APPLICATIDN FILED MAR, 17, l9l6.

1,250,844. Patented Dec. 18,1917

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. GEBHART, OF ST. LDUI S, MISSQUBI, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ECONOMETER COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

Specification 0t Letters Patent.

MACHINE FOR MEASURING TEXTILE FABRIC AND GUMTPUTING THE PRICE THEREOF.

Application filed March 17, 1916. Serial No. 84,900. i

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that 1 ,-J oI-m C. Gemini, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invent ed new and useful Improvements in Man chines for Measuril'lg Textile Fabric and Computing the Price Thereof, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved machine for measuring textile 'fflbllfi and computing the price thereof. The invention proposes more particularly a machine of the general type disclosed in my eo-pend1ng application Serial No. 8 1,899 wherein the op eration is' produced by the passage otthe fabric between a pair of rollers.

The chief object of the invention, briefly stated, is to provide a machine of the char acter described which, having the principal advantages of the machine disclosed. in my said co -pending application Serial No. 84,899,1naybe readily adapted for the meas urement of relatively great lengths of ma .terial, such as are sold at wholesale or, 'oc' easionally, at retail, without any accompanying necessity for making the machine of inconveniently large size or of substan tially greater size than is required for the measurement-of average retail lengths.

The invention consists in certain features of structure, combination and relation which, together with the above and other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention. is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fifiure 1 is a top plan view of a. machine in which the features of the invention are incorporated Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view but showing the gearing in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 2; i i

Fig. 4 is a front elevation;

Fig. 5 is. a.h orizontal sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, the upper roller being omitted; 'f

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 iso detail sectional. view showing more particularly the arrangement of the blades of thelmlfe which slits the margin of the fabric along the line from which the measured length of the fabricjs to be ripped or out from the rest of the fabric;

Fig. 8 is a detail view showing a modification in the construction of the knife; and

Figs. 9, 10 and 1]. are detail side sectional plan and end elevations showing a modification in the eol'istruction of the knife operating means.

Similar character views. i

The operative parts of the machine are housed in a casing 1 whose lower portion incloses upper and lower rollers 2 and 3.

The rollers 2 and 3 are similar as regards their construction, relation to one another and to the casing 1, and operation, to the rollers '22 and. 3 shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 84,899. However, in order that the disclosure of the present application. may be completein itself and may not entail. the necessity of a reference to the patent to mature from my said co-pending application, the rollers 2 and 3 and their appurtenances will now he described in detail.

The operation of the machine is due to the rotation of the upper roller 2 which is, therefore, a power roller; and the roller 2 is rotated for this purpose by the passage between it and the roller of the-edge portion of the strip of fabric to be measured and sold. The rollers 2 and3 have their circumferential faces of suitable form to friction ally engage the fabric drawn between them, and for this purpose, it "preferred to provide the metal body parts o. the said. rollers with soft rubber facings i The roller 2 is n'lounted on or formed in one with a horizontal shaft 5 which: is dis posed in the central longitudinal plane of the machine and has its ends supported by lined bearings 6.. The roller 3 mounted on or formed in one with a shaft 7 arranged under and parallel to the shaft 5;"and in; 100

order that' the rollers may be spaced, at

times, to provide for the introduction be- Patented Dec. 18, 1917.

of reference designate corresponding parts tl'lroughont the several of the shalt 7 are carried by a vertically 10bmovable yoke T The side bars of the yoke 9 are pivotally mounted at their inner ends on a transverse bar 10 supportedby the adjacent walls of the casing 1; and the yoke9 (and. therewith the roller 3)li s urged up- 119 walls with a 510$ 12 of suitable extent 1; rough which the fabric to be engaged be Men the rollers 2 and 3 is; introduced.

In order to space the roller 3 from the roller F2 to enable the edge portion of the cbric to placed. between said rollers, the

'srough a vertical slot 1% in the side Wall of the casing l opposite to the side Wall adjacent which the yoke 9 is pivoted and by which said yoke (and therewith the .ler S) is depr-esse In crdcr to hold the yoke in its depressed position the from; erm bar of said yoke provided with a cam faced lug (Figs. :1 and; 10} which ares with detect 1% pivoted between is, 1? no lug projecting; from lie ad acent Wall of the casing 1, The de lent 1G is acted on by a spring 19 and its end, opposite that which is engaged by said spring, is formed as a shoulder 20 to engage against the adjacent, Wall of the casing 1 a1; limit the projection of the detenl;

by the spring 19 The shoulder 28 is prw vided with a headed operating pin 21 which projects through the adjacent side Wall of the casing l and. is cl" "ed externally of the casing at the 5am. as the handle 13. The pin'i ll. i5; lo *ated under the aloe 12 and berwcen ill from of: the casing 1 and the handle 13. By virtue of this arrangement, said. pin may be remjlily operated 0., pushed inwardly to disengage the dereni; from the 15., in comm with the act or introduci the p( rtioo of tile fabric to in measured tween the 2 and 3 The features 13f construction above dc scribed are disclosed application Serial. li o: 84 899 According to the present invention the value and length indicating chart is stationary and 'tranevcrscd by a bar lqav log marked thereon nuclei-ale indicative oi? lie price per arcl of various fabrica The side Walls 01%? the casi l are prcferably of flaring form at the upper end of easing a lid are provided at shore div lance below their upper with ledges w )1 support transversely curved plate 23 Whose upper Lie {ll'QSfilriBCl convex. The lze is arranged over the roller 52 in. sy oaefrical relanon to the cen tral longitudinal plane or the machine. r he stationary char-tie primed directly on the upper :faoe of the plate 52-3 or on a shoal; Oi

c re 9 has a handle 13 which projecte.

in my said. ce-pending paper or the like which is secured to the upper -face of the plate 23 and is visible through a glass panel 23*, concentric to the plate 23, and which forms, in efiect, the top Wall of the casing 1, being suitably sup ported by the side and end walls of said casing. The said chart, indicated generally by the numeral E l, has adjacent the from of the machine a transversely disposed scale 24- which carries numerals indicative of the length of material measured by the mar chine. The present drawings assume machine having a capacity for twelve yards of material and the numerals of the acale 24* are, therefor, 1-42. Thc acale graduated into appropriate fractions of yards. The-rest of the chart 2iformed into squares which aliue in the longitudinal direction of the machine with the sub-divisions of the scale Ql and which contain munerals Ql indicative of the product 01" particular measure on said scale times particular price per yard. Thus, each nux'neral or numeric l reading of the scale will be a factor of: he numerals 'LZ-l in that row which is in alineineut with She. aid nu. moral or numerical re The char? 2% is in coiperation with and is traversed. by a bar 25 which disposed longitudinally of the machine and which, as

stated contains numerals indicative of the price per yard of various mater 'lillle numerals being indicated at 1 .4 In t opo'ation of the machine, the bar 25 1 moved acrcss the chart and by iie jacency to a particular :uuncra] or come cal reading of the scale 24- furnishes a 1 tiauous and present indication of the ice All of rl'laterial cli. has been measured loll-i. numerals 2%" are in transverse alinemeut with the transverse rows of numerals 24? and each numeral 24- is, oi course a factor of the [minerals fi l in a l'ransv rscly aliuing row. in this way in any position Uflil'lQ,

- bar '25 relatively to the chart 24: an instant indication of the price of the measured goods may be had by a reference to that numeral 24L" of the chart 2% which alinement with the numeral or 'smmerical. reading of the scale 24f adjoined by the bar and which is also in transverse alineineot with the numeral 24" on the bar representing the price per yard of the material being: sold.

The roller 2 is, of course, operatively connected lo the bar 25 and the mechanism for effect ng such operative connecluion is ranged. under theplate The bar 25 is carried by an 26 rig'l' secured to a s The shaft 5 l roller 2 is utilized for the supper; of d a, sector whose hub 28 is loosely mounted upon an extended portionof said shaft. The ex tended port-ion of the Saaft 5 carries a Worm 29 which iaeshes with a Worm wheel 30 set ng; of the scale 2 3*,

on a diagonal shaft 31 disposed in a trans verse plane of the machine. The worm Wheel 30 is connectcdby reducing gearing to the sector 27 and its hubcarries as an ele 'ment of such reducing gearing a relatively of the roller 2 is a quarter of a. yard, the

capacity of the machine is twelve yards, and

the worm Wheel 30 has twentydour teeth,

the pinions 32'and 33 are herein disclosed as having a. ratio of twoto one. It is ob I vious that the machine disclosed may be adapted for the measurement of relatively long lengths of material and, hence, edvantageously employed for wholesale merchandising or for. stock taking, by substituting for a Worm wheel having twenty four teeth as assumed a. worm wheel havinga greaternumber of teeth and by adapting "the ratio of the pinions32 and 33 to the capacity and extent of the chart 2-1 and the number of teeth of the worm wheel 30. 111 thus adapting or constructing the machine for the measurement of relatively long lengths of materlal as will be required for Wholesale merchandising, it will .-l)8 unneces- V sary to make the machine larger or substantially lax- 'er than when it is specially con st'ructed ibr'retail sales, asshown. In any event, therefore, the machine when sup ported on or adjacent the counter may have an elevation most'convenient for the work in. hand. and willteke up a minimum amount of specs. 1

.The. shaft 34 carries spur wheel 35 which is-in mesh with the sector 27. The pinion 33 is fast on the shaft 34: and. the spur whee 35 is loose on said shaft.

To provide for an operative connection 7 between the shaft 34 and thespur wheel 35 and at the same time to permit of the zerosetting of the bar .25, the spur wheel 35 has; .formed therewith a clutch member 36 (Fig. "2) which is engaged by a. companion clutch member 37 rotatable with the shaft 34 and slidably mounted thereon. The engagement of the clutch "member 37 with the clutch member 36 may be-established by iin expansive coilspring 38 surrounding the shaft 34 between the hub of the pinion 33 end-the clutch member 37. The disengagement of the clutch members 36 and 37 is efiected by the operation of a yoke 39 whose fork is engaged with, trunnions or a. ring mounted in a groove of the clutch member37; The

.yoke 39 is mounted on atransverse rock shaft 40 havi "g at one end thereof an. arm

41* (Figs. 2 an 3) to which is-connected an thereof above the operating stem 42 (Figs. 3 and 6) project ing beyond the rear wall of the casing 1. It will be obvious that by pushing the stem 42 inward the yoke 39 will disengage the clutch member 37 from the clutch member 36 and thus allow the spur wheel 35 to run free of the shaft 34.

When the clutch member 37 is disengaged from the clutch member 36 the bar 25 is returned to zero position, its return movement being limited by the engagement of the arm 26 against the adjacent side wall of the casing 1.. The means for returning the bar- 25 tozero position preferably consists of a fiat coil spring 43 (Fig. 3) surrounding the hub of the sector 27 and havin its outer end connected to said sector an its inner end connected to the bracket M which provides a bearing for the outer end of the shaft 5..

v The mechanism above described is sup ported from atransmrsely disposed plate 4-6 secured at its ends to lugs carried by the side Walls of the casing 1. The plate 46 itself provides bearings for the shafts 5 and 34 and is provided with brackets 44 and 47 which provide bearings for the outcnends of the respective shafts 5 and 34. The plate 46 also carries cylindrical bearings 18 and 48 for the. respective shafts l0 and 31. The brackets -14 and-47 terminate in portions which over-hang and are parallel to the plate 4-6 and the elements of the mechanism mounted on the respective shafts 5 and 34, as described, are arranged between the plate 46 and the portions of the brackets 44 and 17 over-hanging and parallel. to said plate. The. machine includes a means for notch ing the margin of the strip'of material be-' ing measured upon the completion of the measuring operation, for the purpose of indicating the line along which the measured strip is to be ripped or cut from the rest of the goods. This means, as shown in. Figs.

.2, 3, and 7, isof the construction disclosed in my said co-pending application Serial No. 8 1,899 and consists of a knife which is comlnned with the yoke or carrier for therroller 3 and is operated by the downward movement of said yoke. The knife is shown in Figs. 7 a-ndS and has a. stationary blade 49 and a. movable blade 50, the latter being mounted on a. pivoted arm 51. The. blade 49 mg 1 from which the strip of material is drawn and adjoins the lower edge of the slot12. The arm 51 is pivoted at one end W upper edge of. said slot and its other end. is connected bya. link 52 to one of the side barsof the yoke 9 or to the handle 13, the pivotal'connection between. the link 52 and somewhatloose.

In operation the yoke 9 is first depressed to permitof the introductionof the matesecured to that side of the wall of the casthe yoke 9 being rial between the rollers 2 and 3, and to cause the blade 50 to extend across the slot 12 and prevent the front edge of the strip of material from being inserted through the said slot. The operator, who stands at the rear of the machine, then inserts the strip of material through the slot 12 in a direction transverse to the machine as far as permitted by the'lowered plate 50 and thereupon the detent 16 is operated to disengage the lug 15 and the yoke 9 is raised to throw the roller 3 against the roller 2. At such time, the-blade 50 clears the slot 12 to enable the passage of the material therethrough. The clerk then draws the material through the slot 12 until the length of material re quested has been measured, as shown by the adjacency of the bar 25 to one of the numerals or gratluations of the scale 24. Tllfllfllllhfll, the operation of the machine is stopped and the yoke 9 is depressed to space the roller 3 from the roller 2 and to prepare the machine for another operation, the yoke 9 is depressed. the blade 50 moves across the slot 12, slitting the marginal portion of the material. The material is now withdrawn from the machine and the slit in the marginal portion thereof indicates the line along which the measured length is to be ripped or cut.

Fig. 8 shows a modification in the construction of the knife according to which a rotary cutter 50 cooperates with the blade 6%) in substitution for the blade 50 of the construction shown in Fig. 7. The cutter 50 is mounted upon one arm of a hell crank lever 51 which is connected by a link 52 to the yoke 9 or to the handle '13 and which is so formed that the cutter 50 has a downward operative sweep and commences its nitting operation immediately with the downward movement of the.roller 3-.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 show a modification in the construction of the yoke 9 and in the relation of. this yoke to the knife. The yoke 9, instead of having the handle 13 rigid therewith, as in the embodiment described, has a handle 13 which is pivotally mounted on an extension of one of the bearings of the shaft 7 of the roller 3. The handle 13*, like the handle 1.3, may be operatively combined with either of the knife constructions above described but it is shown in connection with the knife 495O and isconnected to the arm 51 by a link 52, the said handle 13 being urged upward by a suitable spring 13". The handle 13 has 'an initial dowm ward movement relatively to the yoke 9 and thereafter its downward movement is trans mitted to said yoke. For this purpose, the side bar of the yoke 9, adjacent the handle 13, is provided with a laterally projecting lug 53 which said-handle engages upon the completion of its initial relative movement and the downward movement of the yoke'9 with the handle 13" is obviously due to the en agement of said handle with the lug 53. he advantages of this construc tion are that the cutting operation of the blade 50 may be partially completed before the downward movement of the roller 3 is commenced, whereby the fabric will be securely held bythe rollers 2 and 3 during the first part of the operation of the knife; and aslit of greater length may be provided without increasing the length of the blades.

I claim- 1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, upper and lower rollers, price computing means including a stationary curved chart arranged over the upper roller and a bar movable across the chart in a direction transverse to the machine and registering thereon, a pivoted arm carrying said bar and movable in a vertical plane, said arm being located adjacent one end of the upper roller and reducing gearing between the shaft of the upper roller and said arm for operating said arm.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, upper and lower rollers, price computing means including a chart .and a bar movable. across the chart and registering thereon, a sector provided with a projecting arm carrying said bar, a spur wheel operating said sector, a worm wheel driven from the shaft of one of said rollers, reducing miter gearing operated by said worm wheel, and clutch means for connecting or disconnecting one of said miter gears and said sp'ur wheel.

3. In a machlne of the class described, in

combination, upper and lower rollers, price computing means including a stationary curved chart and a bar movable across the chart in a direction transverse to the machine and re istering thereon, a pivoted arm carrying said bar and movable in a vertical plane, saidarm being located adjacent one end of the upper roller, and gearing for operating said arm from the shaft of the upper roller comprising a worm on said shaft, a worm wheel operated by said. worm, a sector operating said arm, aspur wheel operating said sector and reducingl gearing between said worm wheel and sat spur wheel.

4:. In a machine of the class described, in

its

combination, upper and lower roll'ers, price computing means including a stationary chart and a bar movable across the chart in a direction transverse to the machine and registering thereon, a pivoted arm carrying said bar, a pair of cooperatinggear elements for. actuating said arm, a ire-setting spring connected to one of said gear elements, re-- ducing gearing for driving said gear ele ments from the shaft of one of said-rollers and clutch means for connecting or disconnecting an element of said reducing gearing and one of said first-named gear elements of said ro 5. In a machine of the class described, in combination, upper andlower rollers price computin means including a stationary chart an a bar movable across the chart and registering thereon, a sector operating said bar, a resetting spring acting on said sector, a spur wheel operating said sector, reducing gearing between the shaft of one lers and said spur wheel to operate said wheel and clutch means for connecting or disconnecting an element of said reducin gearing'und said spur wheel.

6. 1%1 a mac i lower rollers, one

including a stationary curved chart and a barmovable across the chart in a direction transverse to the machine and registering thereon, a worm on said shaft extension, a sector loosely mounted on said shaft extension, an arm carryingsaid bar and secured to said sector, a shaft parallel to and arranged above said shaft extension, abevel pinion fast on the second-named shaft, a

spur wheel loose on the second-named shaft and meshing with said sector, clutch means for connectm and disconnecting said second. named s aft and said spur wheel, a worm wheel operated by. said worm and a smaller bevel pinion rotating with said worm wheel and meshing with said firstnamed bevel pinion.

7. In a machine .of the class described, in combination, upper and lower rollers, one

of said rollers having its shaft provided With an extension, price computing means including a stationary curved chart and a llfll' movable across the chart in a direction l'ral'lsvcrm to the machine and registering thereon, a worm on said shaft extrusion, a sector lmwablv in a vertical. plane lnmsvcrsm to the lmwhine, an arm carrying said bar ne of the class described, in combination, upper and ;of said rollers having its shaft provided with an extension, price computing means and secured to said sector, a shaft parallel to and arran ed above said shaft extension, a spur whee bevel pinion mounted co-axially with said spur wheel, a movable clutch element for connecting and disconnecting said pinion and spur wheel, a worm wheel operated by said worm, a smaller bevel pinion rotatin with said worm wheel and meshing wit said first-named bevel pinion, a transverse rock shaft, a yoke secured to said for operating said clutch elemen an arm on said rock shaft, and a movable stem engaginlg said arm.

8. n a machine of the class described, in combination, upper and lower rollers, price computing means 0 erated by the upper roller, a roller, a pivoted handle carried by said yoke,

meshing with said sector, a v

shaft ivoted yo re carrying the lower aknife arranged in front of the rollers and including a movable arm provided wi blade, a iink connecting said handle and said arm and a lug on said yoke for engagement by said handle at a period of .its downward movement.

9. In a machine of the class described, in combination, upper and lower rollers, price messes. I

. JOMCT'GEBHART. Witnesses:

(lime. lil'vrm, JOHN S. llowrms.

and a link connecting the lateral arm computing means operated by tlle upper- 

